Intro: I’m Tanesha Nicole with another edition of Ask A Scientist. Today, I’m talking with Dr. Tiffany Powell-Wiley from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at NIH about the importance of community-based research.
 
TN: Dr. Powell-Wiley, what is your research about?

TPW: I’m interested in all the environmental factors that go into causing obesity and putting people at higher risk for heart disease, and how we can address those factors and keep people healthy.

TN: Your research is based in the community rather than in a lab --why?

TPW: Really, to build the best studies, we need to hear voices from the community at each step of the research process.

TN: How does the community impact your work?

TPW: We know that if they trust what we’re doing and the team working with them, that they’re more likely to be a part of the research, but also to have more faith, not only in the studies that we’re doing, but more faith in general in science and the importance of research in their daily lives.

Outro: For more on community-based research, visit nhlbi.nih.gov.